More on Amazon Pilots

7 Exciting New Pilots from Amazon Prime Instant Video

‘Tis the season to be jolly! No? Wrong time of year? It doesn’t feel like it when Amazon have just given us several belated presents! Yes, we’re talking about the launch of the new Amazon Original pilots.

After Amazon’s heartwarming original series Transparent won big at the 2015 Golden Globes (Best TV Comedy Series and Best Actor), we’re excited to see what else Amazon can do. Here’s the rundown on this year’s pilots:

1.CockedCocked is the story of estranged son Richard Paxon, who lives in the big city after leaving his gun-loving relatives and their gun business in the country twenty years ago. Now married, with kids, and a liberal (shock!), Richard returns to his former life after an Uncle attempts to take over the family business. However, his old family are less than keen to have him back, and his new family are horrified by the new life waiting for them. Cocked stars Sam Trammell (True Blood) and is created by Samuel Baum (Lie to Me) and Sam Shaw (Manhattan).

2. Down Dog
Life is pretty easy for laid-back Logan Wood, a good-looking yoga instructor living in Southern California, who coasts happily through life on a string of relationships with beautiful women. However, when his cougar girlfriend – and the owner of the yoga studio where he works – breaks up with him, Logan loses everything, and finds himself struggling for the first time in his life. Down Dog stars Josh Casaubon (I Just Want My Pants Back).

3. Mad DogsMad Dogs is an American re-make of the hit British show of the same name and is about a group of old friends who reunite at a celebration held by one of their number. However, the trip is far from easy-sailing, and long-kept secrets, grudges and murder rock their reunion in quite a spectacular fashion. Mad Dogs stars Steve Zahn (Dallas Buyers Club), Billy Zane (Titanic), Romany Malco (Weeds), Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos) and Ben Chaplin (The Thin Red Line).

4. The Man in the High CastleThe Man in the High Castle sees the world as we know it turned on its head as it examines what might have happened had Germany and Japan won World War II. It picks up twenty years after the allied powers’ loss, and sees Germany and Japan grappling for power and control over the rest of the world. A key battleground? The US. The series is based off the book by Philip K. Dick and stars Alexa Davalos (Mob City), Luke Kleintank (Pretty Little Liars), Rupert Evans (The Village), Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Mortal Kombat Legacy), Joel De La Fuente (Hemlock Grove), Rufus Sewell (Eleventh Hour) and DJ Qualls (Z Nation).

5. The New Yorker PresentsThe New Yorker Presents is an innovative new docu-series bringing to life the celebrated magazine, including performances of stories, poems, documentaries and interviews from the New Yorker.

6. Point of Honour
An American Civil War drama about a Virginia family that fights for the South but frees all of their slaves, which puts them at war with virtually everyone, including within their own family. Point of Honour stars Nathan Pearsons (True Blood) and Christopher O’Shea (Baby Daddy).

7. Salem Rogers
A comedy about a former supermodel, Salem Rogers, attempting to return to the spotlight following a fall from grace that saw her spend ten years in a rehabilitation facility. Salem Rogers is played by Leslie Bibb (About a Boy).

Don’t forget, you don’t have to be an Amazon Prime subscriber to watch the new pilots, so everyone can enjoy. If anything catches your interest, get on down to Amazon and check it out. As usual, audience feedback is crucial to deciding which pilots will get picked up for a full series – so if you like what you see, let Amazon know!